A Christmas Tree farm in St. Tammany Parish has been hit by vandals for the about the 20th time, and the owner is not happy. Clarke Gernon heads up Shady Pond Tree Farm in Pearl River and says nobody has ever been caught destroying the trees.

"It's absolutely senseless," said Gernon. "A mutilation against Mother Nature and a living thing."

Gernon says it’s been difficult for him to express to law enforcement the idea that these are more than just trees.

"And I feel that this is only slightly less offensive than animal abuse," said Gernon.

Gernon says because of the physical size of the 50 acre farm, it's very difficult to put in an effective security system. He says the 9 trees that were recently destroyed may not seem like much when you consider they have about a 14,000 inventory.

"To display this kind of contempt against Christmas, and by association, Christianity, it's a very, very bad thing," Gernon said.